Numbers 13:1-2 – “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”  NKJV

The Land of Promise – Canaan.  What does Canaan represent?  It is far more than just some plot of ground in the Middle-East.  Remember Abraham’s promise according to Romans 4:13 was THE WORLD.  Therefore this is about more than just the Jews in Canaan.  What took place for them in the natural is to instruct us in the spiritual and God desires that we ‘take’ and ‘possess’ the Land or Place of Promise.

REMEMBER:

• God gave Adam RULE over the Earth – – (Genesis 1:26,28)
• He repeated the Promise to Noah – – (Genesis 9:1-2)
• God gave man RULE of the earth – – (Psalm 8:6)
• God’s Kingdom is Everlasting and His Dominion endures for all generations – – (Psalm 145:13)
• God Promises to subdue people and nations under our feet – – (Psalm 47:3)
• God has given Authority (Dominion) over all the Power of the Enemy to us. (Luke 10:19) 

Those are Facts!  God’s Promise!  However, although the Promise has been issued there are occupants on our Place of Promise who do not want to cede ground.  We have the Promise and often will have to ‘dispossess’ before we can ‘possess.’  We are charged with ‘reclaiming’ the land, ‘appropriating’ the promise and ‘enforcing’ the victory won for us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

           Canaan represents ‘The Place of Promise’.  It represents the Abundant Life and Victory but cannot be taken without war.  The war for them was waged in the natural but for us it is waged in the spirit.  So how do we dispossess the enemy and possess the promise?  Simply, follow Biblical patterns and revelation and Numbers 13 is the beginning point.  God has an order He operates in and we must learn His order.

We, as they, must develop a strategy for taking the city and occupying our place of promise.  Let me give you an illustration that will help:  How do you get rid of thistles, crab grass, weeds, etc.?  Do you clip them off at the ground or go for the roots?  One way will give temporary relief but the process will have to be repeated ad nauseam and will be perpetual. The other will solve the problem permanently.  One is more difficult and involved but gives the desired result so which is better?

The devil cannot operate unless he has ‘legal ground’ or we are ‘ignorant’ of our position, condition, place and authority.  We need a strategy to determine if there is ‘legal ground’ through which the devil is operating on our place of promise.  It is as we know who we are and who we are fighting that the battle plan comes into focus and victory realized.

Part of learning how to fight is to understand our weapons and our authority in God.  It is to understand our condition and His redemption.  We learn the power and importance of praise in the process and enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  From the attacks of the devil God will build character in us, expose and defeat the enemy and teach us how to occupy and possess the Promises.  I believe that as we realize who we are and whose we are we develop an incredible sense of destiny and our faith begins to soar.  The visible evidences include a radical spirit of generosity, eradication of apathy, eliminating spiritual pride and become one rather than isolated individualist and we become people of prayer.  There are times we must travail until birth to possess the promise.

We have a choice to make.  We can take the path much of Christendom has taken for generations and accomplished little or we can move with the cloud and learn to wield our spiritual weapons and drive the enemy from our Promise.  It will not necessarily be easy but to possess we will first dispossess.  What will we have?  God bless you as you go through this day and move into your place of promise and possess it!

Numbers 13:1-2 – “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”  NKJV 

This account of the nation of Israel’s process to ‘Possessing the Promise’ and ‘Occupying the Place of Promise’ provides a beautiful lesson.  The apostle Paul declared in Romans 15:4 that “…whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction…”  He said in 1 Corinthians 10 that the things happened to them as an example for us and were written for our instruction.  The word example means ‘stamped as a model or a scar and is permanent’. The word instruction means ‘to place in the mind.’ 

In the Abrahamic Covenant there were some specific and incredible promises made:

• The promise was to your ‘seed’ or ‘descendants’ I will give this land. (Genesis 12:7)
• Those of faith are the Children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7)
• The promise was made to Abraham and his seed. (Galatians 3:16)
• The covenant was confirmed in Christ and The Law which came 430 years later could not disannul it. (Galatians 3:17-18)
• There is neither Jew nor Greek in God but all are one in Jesus Christ and if we belong to Christ we are Abraham’s Seed and heirs of the Covenant Promise. (Galatians 3:27-29) 

In view of the covenant and promise God instructs Moses on how to possess the promise.  He says, “Go get information…” 

I realize some might think that unnecessary but it is the order God used and has been used by military strategist for generations.  Know your enemy or discern the gates of the city!  Moses gave specific instructions and selected men to become part of the information gathering party.  In verses 17-20 he gave specific instructions as to what they were to look for and where they were to go.  Some key elements were:  The Land, the People, the Cities and the Produce of the Land or Fruit.

God NEVER sends forth an ‘uninformed’ army.  He always equips and prepares us for battle and His ways are not the ways of man.  As this story unfolds they come back with a singular report (v.25) concerning the goodness of the land but with two distinct and diverse mental attitudes.  One group (10) could only see the natural, the problems and potential problems.  The other group (2) could look beyond the natural and see the supernatural.  The report was “The land is good and truly flowing with milk and honey.”  But the (10) saw a people too strong to overcome and cities too fortified to attack.  The (2) saw a strong people but a stronger God.

Throughout scripture we find accounts where people of faith overcame incredible odds to achieve the victory and possess the promises of God.  Daniel overcame the lions, the three Hebrew children overcame the fire and in 2 Kings 6 we find Elisha, the double portion prophet thwarted the entire Syrian army with his ability to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ in the unseen realm.

The Promise of God to Moses:  “This Land is yours.”  The Problem:  “The land was occupied by people who did not desire to give it up.”  Therefore, it was necessary for Moses and Israel to develop a strategy, learn how to fight and move onto the land of promise and possess it.  God gave the promise but the occupants of the land were uncooperative so Israel had to dispossess before they could possess.

I want to pause there and pick back up next time on the Place of Promise and what it means and represents in this story.   God bless you as you go through your day!

Matthew 18:18-20 – “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”  NKJV 

            How did Gideon and his rag tag army win such an incredible victory?  There are several things that I would like you to consider and one of the most significant is:  He Worshipped Through Prayer!   I would contend that one should NEVER pray to pray but pray to hear God.  Prayer is both communion and communication not simply a religious ritual or experience.

Have you ever noticed that you are often miserable if you are not walking in the Plan of God for your life?  Dissatisfaction is present and prevalent.  Money, recognition and the world’s definition of success does not satisfy.  In order to know God’s Plan it is imperative that we both commune and communicate with Him.  God desires to talk to us.  Remember the words of Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me and I will…”

It was in Gideon’s prayer time that God SPOKE a WORD TO HIM that transformed his faith and focus.  It was a Specific Word for a Specific Time!  It was transformational and that is exactly what God wants to do in your life.  He has a word for your situation and although He may confirm that word through others He desires to communicate directly with you.

GIDEON’S WORD:

            “Arise, for the Lord has delivered into your hands the hosts of Midian…”   WOW!  God says, before the event:  “Gideon you won!”   That is seeing the end from the beginning.  In the natural it had not happened but God declared it had and Gideon came into agreement with that word.  He communicated it to those following him and they came into agreement and obeyed the word.  They walked it out!

I am convinced that one of the reasons people fail to make more progress is we do not have a WORD from the Lord or we do not hold on to that WORD from the Lord.  I have had many times when God gave me a specific WORD or DIRECTION and nothing in the natural was conducive to that becoming reality but I believed it, agreed with it, declared it and stood on it.  IT CAME TO PASS! 

Gideon gave his followers a word and instructed them to say the same thing.  Gideon instructed them that when he said, “The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon” they were to say the same thing.  If you remember the account those that feared and doubted were sent home and God only allowed those who were IN AGREEMENT to remain.  He does not need numerical superiority in the battle only Faith and Obedience.  The strength of Gideon’s army was not their numbers but their Unity.

The question:  “What are we saying?   What is God saying?”  We must find a way to come into agreement with what God is saying in His word and to our hearts.  That is our source of strength.  We must HEAR God, SPEAK what He says and STAND in unity!

I would encourage you to read and mediate upon James 1:5-8 and allow the Holy Spirit to address the need to HEAR GOD and STAND IN AGREEMENT.  Unfortunately some speak the same thing UNTIL trouble comes, long delay transpires, circumstances go sour or something then they speak doubts, fears, and conflicting ideas.  When we become double minded the door is closed.

The only thing that can shipwreck your victory is for you to transfer your Agreement from God’s Words to the devil’s questions.   Be not weary in well doing for in due season you will reap if you do not faint.   So commune and communicate with God until you have HEARD then STAND on what you heard in AGREEMENT with that Word.

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

Matthew 18:18-20 – “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”  NKJV 

I am aware that the full context of this passage is dealing with offenses and church discipline but it has an application beyond that regarding our victory through the prayer of agreement.  In Ephesians 4:13 the apostle Paul identified that the ministry of those giving oversight was so that the Body of Christ could all come into UNITY of the faith.  In 1 Corinthians 1:10 he addressed the Corinthian church directing them to all SPEAK the same thing which is another dimension of UNITY of the faith. If we are going to have POWER in the spirit realm and supercharge our prayers as a Body we must find a pathway to UNITY of the faith.

Through the years I have heard much preaching and teaching regarding THE PRAYER OF AGREEMENT and some of it I embrace and some I question.  Understanding that what I am about to present will either be embrace, questioned or rejected, I proceed with some apprehension but a desire to enhance your faith and weaponry.

CONSIDER THE TEXT:

• If How Many? TWO
• What Do They Do? AGREE
• About What? ANYTHING
• What Are The Results? POSITIVE ANSWERS

In this passage Jesus emphasizes and reemphasizes something in particular.  In order to establish a doctrine or principle of faith we need to allow two or three witnesses to speak to the matter.

In 2 Corinthians 13:1 Paul tells us that “out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.”  I believe that 1 Corinthians 1:10 is a connector for Matthew 18:19 that we SPEAK the same thing and are joined in mind and judgment regarding the matter.  Psalm 133 tells us that it is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity and there the blessings flow.

UNITY is not everyone saying:  “We are going to get into Unity.”  It is not a feeling.  It is when everyone speaking the same thing with the same mind, heart and vision.  You may immediately declare that an IMPOSSIBILITY but I challenge that presumption.  When considering the Principle of Unity we must remember 2 Chronicles 16:9 that the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth as He seeks opportunity to demonstrate His power to man.  Tragically we miss much of what God has because of our pet doctrines, precepts, plans and proposed purposes rather than finding Him and His Purposes.

Whenever you find a PRINCIPLE you need to find a biblical ILLUSTRATION to confirm it that causes it to be understandable, practical and applicable.   With regard to the PRAYER OF AGREEMENT consider Judges 6 and Gideon.  He was a poor man but chosen by God to bring deliverance to his nation.  Israel was the tail not the head contrary to God’s declared promise.  Sometimes we are guilty of ‘declaring’ or ‘coming into agreement’ with wrong things because of a lack of knowledge of God’s provisions, promises and principles.

Gideon was in complete shock that God would choose him.  I believe that in the near future people are going to rise out of obscurity, stand in full agreement and do great exploits for the Kingdom of God.  Psalms 75:6 tells us that “promotion does not come from the East, West or South but from God.”   Gideon had a difficult time accepting his call but when he began to move toward that commission we see incredible results [Judges 7:15-17].  Paul said 1 Corinthians 11:1 – “follow me as I follow Christ…”  We all follow someone or something.  In Judges 7:17-22 we see an incredible victory against impossible odds and it is rooted in the Principle of Unity.

I am going to leave you there and return tomorrow to delve further into this thought.  May the Lord bless you and be with you as you go through this day!

Matthew 18:2-7 – “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”  NKJV

Let me relate some to you and hopefully it will be beneficial, challenge you and inspire you.  If I am only successful in one or two of those I have failed.  I must find a way to attach all three legs to the stool or it falls short and that I would deeply regret.

I know a preacher who almost lost his faith due to the question of a child.  The little boy asked:  “Where did God come from?”  It was not a question borne out of disbelieve.  It was not a question seeking to find reason to not believe.  It was not a question of one seeking to combat the claims of the Bible or Christianity.  It was the innocent inquiring mind of a child and this preacher found that the more he tried to answer the question the more he questioned his faith.

Before you condemn him realize that many have questioned things in their lives and faith.  There have been times in many lives when they just didn’t know and wondered.  They wondered if they were saved, if God loved them, why there is evil and suffering in the world and found their time of question daunting.  If you have never questioned or doubted anything regarding your faith I praise you but ask you not be too quick to condemn those who have struggled with questions they could not answer.

Jesus said that we have to become as a little child and one thing I am certain regarding the minds of most children is they simply want to know.  Many times their questions have no maliciousness entwined they simply want to know.  Their questions are out of the honesty of their hearts and minds and come to us for answers.  Therefore, our answers to them must be carefully thought out, honest and solidly based in truth.  What happens when we are unable to give them a definitive answer?  How do we approach that?  Personally, it is with complete honesty and deeply rooted in prayer.  If I do not know I acknowledge I do not know and then give the reasons I believe what I believe.

I was asked how I would have answered the child and that has caused some deep introspection.  I have been asked that before and one of the ways I answer is to address the human body with its most incredible vascular and nervous system.  How could that just happen?  I will address the universe and the minute detail of solar systems, galaxies, planets, orbits, etc. and ask how could that just happen?  I relate the immediate and utter transformation of my life and ask how could that happen apart from God?  Although I may not be able to give a definitive answer as to where God came from, when He began or anything in that arena of thought and question I ask:  “How Can I Not Believe based on what I just said and adding to that the countless times I have experienced miraculous healing, divine intervention and guidance?”

             There are times when you have questions, fears and doubts and in those times you have to hold on to your confidence and keep going.  All questions in life are not answerable by mortal man but creation itself declares God and I believe.  The devil will use any vehicle he can find to shipwreck your faith and make you a castaway.  I do not suggest we cease honest inquiry that would be wrong.  You may never answer all the questions but you can give answer for the reason of hope that is within you.

I believe!  May the Lord bless you richly as you go through this day!

Luke 11:1 – “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”  NKJV

Prayer is somewhat of a mystery for most of Christians and there are probably as many different philosophies, theories and beliefs regarding the activity as there are people further adding to the uniqueness and confusion.  I want to ask a question tied to my title:  “When do we move from a fight of faith to faithless begging in prayer?”  I am quite serious in the question.

I have had people tell me that if I ask “more than once” I am being faithless and that I should ‘ask once’ then ‘declare it done’ from that time forward.  I have others suggest that we can ‘never know’ the will of God in the matter therefore we should continually ask with the addendum “if it be thy will.”  My personal view falls somewhere between those two.  I do believe there is a time to ask and then declare and there is a time to persistently, consistently, repeatedly and be importunate in our prayers.

Let’s consider a few brief examples in scripture and see if they provide any help in framing a point of reference for shaping our biblical prayer view.  This will be brief for time and space will allow nothing more.

DANIEL’s encounter with MICHAEL (Daniel 10):

Daniel had been praying as a result of a vision and nothing was appeared to happen.  It was as though God did not hear his cries.  In verses 10-14 Daniel had an angelic visitation.  He had been dispatched to answer Daniel’s prayer and in verses 12-13 the angel tells Daniel that God heard his prayers but the prince of the kingdom of Persia has withstood him for 21 days.  The angel informed Daniel that Michael one of the chief princes (angels) had been dispatched to help him break through.  Would the answer have come had Daniel prayed once and stopped or was Daniel fighting the fight of faith in persistence of prayer? 

THE WIDOW of Luke 18:

Jesus spoke a parable about a widow who refused to be denied before an earthly judge and that because of her persistence he relented and granted her petition.  I am not and would never equate God with an unjust earthly judge but the idea of persistence is there and Jesus hints that this type of fighting the good fight in prayer is a demonstration of faith.  Jesus said in Luke 18 that men ought always to pray and not faint.  This type of prayer is so forceful anything but a total commitment to the answer will defeat it.

THE CENTURION in Matthew 8:

The centurion came to Jesus asking healing for his servant and Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”  The centurion stopped the Lord telling Him that he felt unworthy for the Lord to come to his house but all Jesus had to do was ‘speak the word’ and it would be done.  Jesus marveled at the greatness of this demonstration of faith.  The man did not persist but asked once and then acknowledged that upon Jesus’ word it was done.

In Mathew 7 we find that classic passage regarding prayer pressed to three levels:  “Asking, Seeking and Knocking.”  That, in my view, suggests a Fight of Faith that could be called nothing less than Importunity in Prayer.  The question, in my mind, is how serious is the matter and how much is it worth to us.  If it is vital we will refuse to give up or give in and no amount of delay will cause us to cease asking, seeking and knocking.

We read in 1 John 5:14-15 – “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”  NKJV   This gives a beautiful picture of the process and basis of prayer.

• Asking Must Be According to His Will.
• He Hears When We Pray According To His Will.  
• When He Hears He Answers.
• Our Confidence is anchored in Knowing He Hears.
• We Get The Answer To The Prayer Prayed In His Will.

I rarely pray the addendum, “If it by thy will” but seek to know His will and then pray.  If I am confident that what I am asking is His will then my faith soars and I can fight the fight of persistent prayer when necessary and prevent falling victim to faithless begging and wishful hoping.   (This is not exhaustive and leaves the door open to many questions and further explanation.  It is hopefully a catalyst to cause you to think.)

May the Lord be with you as you go through this day!

Mark 12:31 – “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”  NKJV 

            Why is it so difficult to love some people?  I had a person say to me the words of my title.  They said, “As a Christian I love you but I don’t like you!”  I had just received 100% of the vote for reconfirmation as pastor of the congregation and that individual who voted told me I was a terrible pastor and then spoke those words to me.  I was stunned.  If I was the horrible pastor described in those words how did that individual cast YES ballot for me in the pastoral election?  I asked that but only heard the aforementioned repeated.

You and I have met or know some people that we find incredibly difficult to love.  Some people are so sweet, nice and kind they are easy to have an emotional attachment to and we afford them what we call LOVE.  Others are caustic in their personalities, clash with us ideologically and emotionally and we labor to afford them what we call LOVE.  It is often incredibly difficult and most of us avoid those people and prayed they would just go away.  Oh we feel a twinge of guilt but most cover it with some justification or another and then say, “Well I don’t like them but I love them in the Lord.”

It is sometimes difficult to LOVE people that we genuinely like.  Why?  Well among other reasons is because we are human beings and aside from the Grace of God we battle self (desires and ego).  Throughout my life I have been told by well-meaning people, “You have to look out for number one.”  That speaks to one of the major issues in loving people is that too often human love is contingent upon “what’s in it for me…?”

Another significant reason that we find it difficult to LOVE others is because most have a gross misunderstanding of what LOVE really is.  William Shakespeare popularized ‘romantic or emotional love’ and we have swallowed that theory hook-line and sinker.  We have to FEEL LOVE and FEEL LOVED for it to BE LOVE in our minds.  When LOVE is an emotion it is fickle.  I would suggest that you cannot totally control emotions.  You can control your response to emotions but there are so many outside stimuli in play in forming emotions they are virtually uncontrollable and if your view of love is emotional you are going to have a problem.

Agape Love, as described in Scripture and directed to humans as revealed in 1 Corinthians 13, is not based on emotion but faith, conviction and is a choice.  Jesus said here in Mark that we are to LOVE our neighbor as ourselves and that too is a significant problem far more often than any will admit.  Sometimes we just do not love ourselves.  If I do not have a healthy view of who I am then how can I love you?  If I do not have a solid understanding of who I am in Christ and my condition and position in God I cannot love you with any semblance of Agape or Unconditional Love.

Tragically we pretend, saying all the right religious words but our hearts are cold, indifferent, uncaring, unfeeling and even antagonistic toward the other person.  Thankfully that is not how God LOVES.  He knows our flaws and chooses to LOVE US.  He knows our failures and chooses to LOVE US.  It is not simply an emotional response from Him but a choice He has made.  When I say I Love You I can say it from the perspective of God’s Grace and having made a choice in my heart to Love you.  I see you as God’s creation and one He viewed as worth the Blood of Jesus therefore I CHOOSE TO LOVE YOU.  We may rub each other the wrong way more times than not but I can still honestly say I LOVE YOU and in loving you I will, in time find a pathway to common ground which will overcome the things about you that bug me and hopefully the same will work for you.

God bless you as you go through this day and may, His grace enable you to love those who are difficult to love you encounter.   Blessings!

Isaiah 46:9-11 – “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’  11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.”  NKJV

A new report I saw recently concerned the mindset of the younger generation today indicated they wanted virtually no connection to the past.  They did not want the things and treasures their parents had in their homes.  They did not want the antiques or even memories of the past rather they wanted to be incredibly mobile without any significant roots able in a moment’s notice to move from one place or thing to another.  I fear that also means relationships and it caused to reflect on REMEMBERING.

We are well aware the words of our Lord in Luke 9:62 regarding putting one’s hand to the plow and looking back.  It is a mistake to dwell on or revel in past sin rehearsing it in our minds and virtually living it again.  That would assuredly be counterproductive but there are some things we should remember.  If you will recall when the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan entering into the place of promise (Canaan) Joshua had them bring twelve stones from the river and build an altar or memorial on the banks as a REMINDER for future generations of what God had done.

Here the prophet Isaiah instructs those hearing and reading to REMEMBER the former things and in particular GOD.  He tells them that in remembering they will reflect on God’s nature, character, power, person and feats.  They will REMEMBER God’s Covenant and His promise that what He has spoken He will bring to pass.  Therefore, remembering can be both beneficial and problematic.

Jesus told His followers that in taking the Communion they would REMEMBER His death until He returned.  I have memorials in my life that I frequently go to in my mind and REMEMBER.  The remembrance strengthens my resolve, commitment and faith.  As I remember times the LORD brought to pass His promises in my life I look forward holding to the promises not yet fulfilled.  Paul even told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:8 to “do warfare” with the prophecies spoken over him as he pressed toward God’s purposes.

History forgotten invites repeating the same mistakes!  History remembered helps to guard against the same erroneous path giving strength to the old adage, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.”  We are serving one who can see the end from the beginning unlike you and me who can only see the beginning from the end.  God sees it before it happens and we see it in retrospect.  His word will NEVER return to Him not having been fulfilled.  If He declares it He will see it through to the end.  So REMEMBERING in this light is a powerful thing helping to encourage and strength our lives.

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

Philippians 2:19-21 – “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.”  NKJV

In today’s world SELFIES are more prominent than SELF-EFFACEMENT.  This is the day of ‘tooting your own horn’ rather than genuinely seeking the ‘best good’ of others.  In today’s world it seems that even preachers are caught up in the “ME” mentality and are driven to be recognized, have the biggest and best with acclaim reaching far and wide.  DISCLAIMER:  I am no longer a lead pastor so I am not speaking sour grapes or jealousy.  I truly desire that each minister and church rise as high, reaching as many as possible and become a force for God and good internationally.  I want you to succeed in God’s eyes and even in man’s.

Paul lamented that he had no one but Timothy standing with him that was truly ‘self-effacing’.  His incredible description of Timothy should be a condition that we all strive to attain.  He said that Timothy sincerely cared for the state of the church and did not seek his own but the things of Christ.  Please do not become religiously indignant over my statement without hearing the conclusion of the whole matter.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 that we were to SEEK FIRST the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.  I suggest that the Bible clearly presents the argument that ‘seeking self’ and ‘seeking the kingdom’ are incompatible.  If SELF is in the forefront the KINGDOM will be secondary or worse.  We need ‘self-effacement’ not “self-deprecation.”

John the Baptist declared regarding Jesus, “He must increase but I must decrease.”  Paul told the Roman believers that a follower of Christ SHOULD NOT think more highly of himself than is proper.  The world is watching those who name the name of Christ.  They are watching us with skepticism and often looking for a place to discredit us.  If they see in us the same character flaws or personal ambitions as the world manifests what will draw them to our message?  There are many in the world that promote SELF as supreme and if our actions, attitude and words suggest we are doing the same and that our Christianity is rooted in “What’s in it for me?” we will lose our influence and impact.

Humility is a quality that as soon as you think you have it you have lost it.  Self-effacement is the work of Grace in our hearts and the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It is not something that we can consciously achieve through will-power it is a work of Grace.  It is a condition of heart.   It is a genuineness of spirit where God is truly HEAD OF ALL THINGS in our lives and His heart is our heart.  It is a condition of death to personal ambition, jealousy, envy, greed and ego.  It is Christ in us!  It is in Him we live and move and have our being.  It is the Life I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God.  It is out of our bellies flow rivers of living water.  It is an outward demonstration of the inward condition not something that is manufactured or even learned it is LIVED.

Am I self-effacing?  Sometimes but other times I manage to demonstrate my carnality and humanity.  When I truly find myself placing Him above all and the good of others above my own interest it produces incredible peace and joy.  In all honesty, in those times I am almost completely unaware that it is happening because it flows forth.  In other times the Holy Spirit checks my heart, my words and planned action and I realize that I am anything but ‘self-effacing’ and humility is not in the same hemisphere spiritually.  In those times I fall on my face before God and cry out for mercy.   I pray the prayer of David, “Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right spirit…”  

God help us to be LIKE CHRIST in truth not in manufactured attempts to BE.   God bless you as you go through this day!

Luke 6:37-38 – “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”  NKJV

I felt compelled to address this passage again and will likely do so in the future.  I have encountered something among fellow believers that troubles me and if you will give me a few minutes I will highlight some of my concerns and questions.

Having engaged in conversation with some believers who have been hurt and wounded or are simply troubled by what they perceive as non-biblical words, deeds or attitudes in other believers some troubling matters were broached.  I have heard preacher and non-preachers rail against the perceived absence of “Unconditional Love” in other believers.  I readily acknowledge that love is difficult and unconditional love impossible outside of our Lord Jesus and the inner working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

My problem is not with calling attention to the failure of fellow believers to extend Unconditional Love it is making it personal and all about me.  I have been in difficult times, endured false accusations and needed people to love me without reservation and question. In those times some did and others, whom I thought would, did not and I was hurt.  If I focus on their failure but make it all about me I have weakened the message.  It is far too easy for the heart to have seeds of bitterness in it and if a root of bitterness springs up it defiles.  The problem is that few recognize the root within themselves and our lashing out and castigating others for their failures to DO THE BIBLICAL THING somehow becomes a false balm for us.

The Bible tells us many things about life and living it but I want to call attention to two specific things:

• The Principle of Reciprocity.

Here in Luke 6 Jesus identifies a particularly germane truth that Giving is the key to receiving.  Read carefully the words of our Lord in verse 38:  “Give and IT will be given to you…”   IT is as essential in understanding as GIVE for it is WHAT WE GIVE that we receive.  What we give will come back “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over…”

           Therefore if we are not receiving what we need it might serve us well to look beyond the failure of others and examine our own hearts, lives and actions and be sure that we have been giving what we are now needing.  I am not saying that if some fail you it is your fault only suggesting that before we allow bitterness, hurt and/or anger to well up inside we might want to examine our planting in the past, present and future.

• The Law of Sowing and Reaping.

In Galatians 6 we read the directive of the apostle Paul where he advised the Galatians and all who would read in successive generations the truth about “Reaping and Sowing”.  It is a farming principle that refuses to fail.  In the principle of sowing and reaping we find we Reap WHAT we sow, MORE than we sow and LATER than we sow.

I too am troubled when I see professing Christians coming up short in the demonstration of godly character, but as I look at my own heart I frequently find that I have fallen short in one of the two principles listed above.

I would never suggest that you will never experience the pain of other’s failure if you follow these guidelines but I do insist that if you follow them from the heart you will prevent a root of bitterness and reject any tendency toward self-pity.  The pain will still come as others fail you but you will walk in a peace that is beyond human comprehension.

            God bless you as you go through your day!